Non-Slip Outsole for Winter Shoes

ABSTRACT

An outsole for a shoe includes i) a main tread to be secured to a shoe, the main tread having a sole portion and a heel portion, ii) at least one non-slip element integrated to the main tread and being positioned within one of the sole and heel portions; and iii) a retractable crampon, including at least one spike, that is mounted to the other one of the sole and heel portions of the main tread. The retractable crampon is movable between a deployed position, wherein the at least one spike extends from the main tread, and a retracted position, wherein the at least one spike is prevented from contacting the ground by the main tread.

FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to winter shoes. More specifically, the present disclosure concerns a non-slip outsole for winter shoes.

BACKGROUND

It is conventionally known to add spikes to boots or other winter shoes to improve the grip of the shoes on the icy ground. For long a time, the spikes were provided on a harness or another similar attach which is then attached to the boots or shoes. Nowadays, it is known to install a cleat system directly on a sole. Some of these systems are movable between a deployed and a retracted position for the cleats. Such systems are found to be effective to provide a good traction on icy ground. A drawback is that they add non-negligible costs to the shoes. Moreover, if the cleat system is damage, they are difficult to change and/or costly to repair.

More recently, boots are come up on the market that integrates non-slip elements on the sole. Such elements are made of a polymer blend material, such as Vibram Arctic Grip™, that increases adherence to wet and dry ice compared to conventional rubber material.

Such non-slip elements are less costly than spikes to integrate to a sole but have been find less effective in preventing a user from losing their footing on a slippery road.

SUMMARY

According to illustrated embodiments, there is provided an outsole for a shoe comprising:

a main tread to be secured to a shoe; the main tread having a sole portion and a heel portion;

at least one non-slip element integrated to the main tread and being positioned within one of the sole and heel portions; and

a retractable crampon, including at least one spike, that is mounted to the other one of the sole and heel portions of the main tread; the retractable crampon being movable between a deployed position, wherein the at least one spike extends from the main tread, and a retracted position, wherein the at least one spike is prevented from contacting the ground by the main tread.

According to another embodiment, there is provided a shoe equipped with such an outsole.

It is to be noted that the expression “non-slip element” is to be construed in the description and in the claims as including a granular or sufficiently small element that is integrated to another rubber or polymeric material during the molding thereof and that reacts with a snowy or icy ground to yield more adherence than the material it is integrated to.

Other objects, advantages, and features of the non-slip outsole for winter shoes will become more apparent upon reading the following non-restrictive description of preferred embodiments thereof, given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the appended drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the ground contacting side of the non-slip outsole for winter shoes according to a first illustrative embodiment;

FIG. 2A is a cross-section taken along lines 2A,2B-2A,2B on FIG. 1; the outsole being shown with the retractable crampon retracted; and

FIG. 2B is a cross-section taken along lines 2A,2B-2A,2B on FIG. 1; the outsole being shown with the retractable crampon deployed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, similar features in the drawings have been given similar reference numerals, and in order not to weigh down the figures, some elements are not referred to in some figures if they were already identified in a precedent figure. Herein, it shall further be noted that, for avoiding unnecessary details obscuring the invention, only device structures and/or processing steps closely relevant to schemes according to the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings while omitting other details less relevant to the invention.

The use of the word “a” or “an” when used in conjunction with the term “comprising” in the claims and/or the specification may mean “one”, but it is also consistent with the meaning of “one or more”, “at least one”, and “one or more than one”. Similarly, the word “another” may mean at least a second or more.

As used in this specification and claim(s), the words “comprising” (and any form of comprising, such as “comprise” and “comprises”), “having” (and any form of having, such as “have” and “has”), “including” (and any form of including, such as “include” and “includes”) or “containing” (and any form of containing, such as “contain” and “contains”), are inclusive or open-ended and do not exclude additional, un-recited elements.

A first illustrative embodiment of a non-slip outsole 10 for winter shoes will now be described with reference first to FIGS. 1 and 2A.

The outsole 10 comprises a main tread 12, a retractable cleat system 14 and a plurality of non-slip elements 16.

The main tread 12 is a generally arc shaped one-piece body that is made of a rubber material. According to another illustrative embodiment, the main tread 12 can have another shape than illustrated and made of two or more pieces. It is to be noted that the expression “rubber material” is to be construed in the description and in the claim as including rubber, any resilient material including rubber and a polymeric material having substantially the same properties with regards to resiliency and durability.

The main tread 12 includes a sole portion 18, a heel portion 20 and a shank portion 22 therebetween. The sole and shank portions 18 and 22 have a thickness that is less than the thickness of the heel portion 20 so as to be flexible.

The main tread 12 is further shaped to define a central portion 24 that extends through the sole, shank and heel portions 18, 22 and 20 and a peripheral portion 26 that surrounds the central portion 24.

The sole and heel portions 18 and 20 comprise respective lugs 28 and 30. The lugs 28 on the sole portion 18 has a same first height and the lugs 30 on the heel portion 20 have a same second height, which is greater than the first height. According to another embodiment, the lugs 28 and 30 are differently shaped and define another pattern than illustrated.

The non-slip elements 16 are in the central portion 24 of the sole portion 18. They are made of a polymer blend material, such as Vibram Arctic Grip™, that increases adherence to wet and dry ice compared to conventional rubber material. The non-slip elements 16 are integrally integrated to the main tread 12 during the molding thereof. According to another embodiment, the non-slip material is made of another material which promotes additional adherence to wet and/or dry ice compared to rubber.

The non-slip elements 16 are not limited to being in the central portion 24 of the main thread 12, some or all of the non-slip elements 16 can also be located on the peripheral portion 26.

The cleat system 14 is configured and sized to fit within the central portion 24 of the heel portion 20. According to another embodiment (not shown), the cleat system 14 is at least partially located on the peripheral portion 26 of the heel portion 20.

The cleat system 14 comprises a generally rectangular bracket 32 removably mounted to the heel portion 20 via four (4) screws 33 and a crampon 34 that is pivotably mounted to the bracket 32 for pivotal movement between a retracted position (see FIG. 2A) and a deployed position (see FIG. 2B).

More specifically, the crampon 34 includes a semi-circular portion 36 having spikes 38 on a first side face 40 thereof and a connecting portion 42 that extends from the semi-circular portion 36. The connecting portion 42 includes a pin 44 that is pivotably received at its longitudinal ends in respective lodgings 46 defined, with the heel portion 20, by small U-shaped deformations in the bracket 32.

The heel portion 20 includes a first arcuate recess (not shown) on a side thereof that is opposite the sole portion 18 and a second arcuate recess (not shown) on the opposite side thereof.

The first arcuate recess is positioned and shaped to receive the semi-circular portion 36 in its deployed position, while the second arcuate recess is positioned and shaped to receive the portion 36 in its retracted position.

As it can be seen in FIGS. 2B and 2A respectively, in the deployed position the spikes 38 extends beyond the lugs 30, while the whole cleat system 16 is located deeper than the lugs 30 when the crampon 34 is in its retracted position so as to be selectively protected from the ground.

The semi-circular portion 36 of the crampon 34 further includes a tab 46 that is provided to help moving the crampon 34 between the retracted and deployed positions thereof.

The cleat system 16 is made of stainless steel. According to other embodiments, the cleat system 16 or parts thereof can be made of another material such as Kevlar™ and aluminum.

The cleat system 16 is not limited to the illustrated embodiment. For example, the configuration and sized of the crampon 34 can be different than illustrated. Also, another mechanism than the pivotably mounting of the crampon 34 to the bracket 32 can be provided to move the crampon between retracted and deployed position. The configuration and size of the bracket 32 may also be different than illustrated.

While the cleat system 16 has been described as removably mounted to the heel portion 20 of the outsole 10, it can also be fixedly mounted thereto, for example during molding of the main tread 12.

The non-slip elements 16 are advantageously positioned on the portion of the outsole 10 that receives most of the pressure from the foot towards the ground (not shown) during the flexing and pushing thereof while walking. The non-slip elements 16 are believed to be more efficient than similar elements made of rubber to promote adherence of the outsole on icy ground and less costly and simpler than metal spikes.

On the other hand, the cleat system 14 is advantageously positioned on the heel portion 20 of the outsole 10, which is the part of a shoe (not shown) that receives most of the pressure towards the ground when a walker (not shown) slips and loses its footing. The additional grip provided by the spikes 38 of the cleat system 14 compared to a traditional rubber heel, or even non-slip elements 16, has been found to be sufficient to prevent slipping on most icy ground for most users.

The outsole 10 can be generally configured and size so as to be mounted to any type, configuration and size of shoes, including without limitation, winter boots, winter shoes, running shoes, etc.

Shoes equipped with the outsole 10 may of course also include an insole and an outsole.

It is to be noted that many modifications could be made to the outsole 10 described hereinabove and illustrated in the appended drawings. For example:

-   -   while the heel portion 20 has been illustrated as being thicker         than the sole portion 18, it can be of the same or lesser         thickness;     -   the shank portion of the main tread can be omitted;     -   the number and/or configuration of the non-slip elements 16 may         be different than illustrated;     -   the positions of the cleat system 14 and non-slip elements 16         can be reversed.

Although a non-slip sole for winter shoes has been described hereinabove by way of illustrated embodiments thereof, it can be modified. It is therefore to be understood that numerous modifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that the scope of the claims should not be limited by the preferred embodiment but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the description as a whole. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An outsole for a shoe comprising: a main tread to be secured to a shoe; the main tread having a sole portion and a heel portion; at least one non-slip element integrated to the main tread and being positioned within one of the sole and heel portions; and a retractable crampon, including at least one spike, that is mounted to the other one of the sole and heel portions of the main tread; the retractable crampon being movable between a deployed position, wherein the at least one spike extends from the main tread, and a retracted position, wherein the at least one spike is prevented from contacting the ground by the main tread.
 2. The outsole of claim 1, wherein the at least one non-slip element is positioned within the sole portion and the retractable crampon is mounted to the heel portion.
 3. The outsole of claim 1, wherein the at least one non-slip element includes a plurality of non-slip-elements.
 4. The outsole of claim 1, wherein the at least one non-slip element is made of a polymer blend material.
 5. The outsole of claim 4, wherein the polymer blend material is Vibram Arctic Grip™.
 6. The outsole of claim 1, wherein the retractable crampon is mounted to the other one of the sole and heel portions of the main tread via a bracket.
 7. The outsole of claim 6, wherein the bracket is removably secured to the other one of the sole and heel portions of the main tread via fasteners.
 8. The outsole of claim 6, wherein the main tread further having a central portion that extends along both the sole and heel portions and a peripheral portion that surrounds the central portion; the bracket being positioned on the central portion of the heel portion.
 9. The outsole of claim 6, wherein the retractable crampon is pivotally secured to the bracket so as to be movable between the retracted and deployed positions.
 10. The outsole of claim 9, wherein the retractable crampon includes a spiked portion having two side faces and including the at least one spike on one of the two side faces, and a connecting portion that extends from the spiked portion and that pivotally connects the spiked portion to the bracket.
 11. The outsole of claim 10, wherein the spiked portion further includes a tab to help moving the retractable crampon between the retracted and deployed positions.
 12. The outsole of claim 1, wherein the main tread includes a recess for receiving the retractable crampon in its retracted position.
 13. The outsole of claim 1, wherein the main tread further having a central portion that extends along both the sole and heel portions and a peripheral portion that surrounds the central portion; the at least one non-slip element being positioned within the central portion of the one of the sole and heel portions thereof.
 14. The outsole of claim 1, wherein the main tread is made of a rubber material.
 15. The outsole of claim 1, wherein the main tread further includes a shank portion between the sole and heel portions.
 16. The outsole of claim 1, wherein at least one of the sole and heel portions comprises lugs.
 17. A shoe equipped with the outsole of claim
 1. 